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1. The head of The house, sue 2. everybody loves parfaiT! 3. The family’s peT, miu-miu. GeT iT?! 4. lucie’s handcrafTed bowl 5. far breTon caKe 6. sculpTure by moses masaya 7. mademoiselle lucie in her sTudio 8. an old parisian weddinG presenT 9. Tom on The move 10. bubbly wiTh a TwisT 11. view of The family home from Their fynbos Garden 12. sue’s well-uTilised KiTchen 13. one of many arTworKs in Their lounGe 14. lucie posinG for her self-porTraiT 15. enTrance mirror made of carved bone 16. old french ashTray. For captions relevant to other pictures in this chapter, please refer to the Addendum

tarte tatin (caramelised apple tart) tarte aux prunes et aux amándes (plum & almond tart)

meringuesparfait aux fraises (strawberry parfait)

far breton cakecrêpes au cointreau (cointreau pancakes)

marquise au chocolat

MENU

Nowadays Sue is a ballet teacher… but she used to model for Dior and Courrèges in Paris in the 70’s, was married to a French antique dealer (subsequently their home is filled to the brim with tons of interesting stuff) and lived and danced in Paris for years… with such an alluring past it’s no wonder she came across as such a shiny and happy person. After a subsequent night out with her at the Alliance Française watching unplugged music, my suspicions were confirmed… she was unashamedly shiny… and really nice too!

If there’s one thing that all mother's can’t hide, it’s the love they have for their children, and this is no more obvious than when she is with her kids, Tom and Lucie. Tom (24) is a scratch golfer (one rack below pro and he’s totally casual about this feat), he’s a lawyer, a DJ, has a very preppy French style with

a touch of rockabilly, and looks about 15… unfair really. His sis, Lucie (26), is the top architecture student in her year at UCT, occupies the best room in the house (the attic), has been making homemade pasta since she was 10, makes crockery for her father with amusing French sayings on them (they are a more innocent version of Hylton Nel) and has made props, like mud banners with “Welcome Miss Amelia Earhart” sewn on in cowries and cool looking Voodoo dolls, for Mira Nair’s movies. Needless to say, Sue has two very multi-talented children. Sue’s home is known as the dessert capital of Cape Town (her desserts are very French in style and flavour), “I always think there’s something special about puddings. When you bring them out - even if the rest of the meal has been a disaster - everyone says, ‘Oh how lovely!” Which is exactly like Sue, “How lovely”.

The ThinG ThaT sTrucK me abouT my new maTe, sue de moyencourT, is The warmTh she exudes (i jusT love a Gal who offers you a Glass of wine wiThin 5 minuTes of you enTerinG her home).

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when friends invite sue away on weekends, it’s usually on condition she brings one of these. This is bocuse’s version, a prominent nouvelle cuisine chef considered to be one of the finest

chefs of the 20th century.

125g butter • 100g sugar • 1kg Granny Smith apples

Generously grease the base of a non-stick tart tin or ovendish, with 100g butter. Sprinkle over 50g sugar. Peel the apples, cut them into quarters and arrange them in the dish, squashing them tightly together.

Sprinkle over the rest of the sugar and pour over 25g melted butter. Place the dish on the hot stove for

around 20 minutes. The sugar should caramelise but remain pale brown.

for the pastry:1 cup (250g) flour • 1 egg • 200g butter,

softened • rind from 1 mediumsized lemon

Mix the flour, egg and softened butter into a soft pastry (it should be difficult to roll). To give the pastry

a nice tang, add a little grated lemon peel. Cover the pan with this pastry, and push the edges in around the apples. Bake for half an hour in a

preheated oven at 190˚C. Turn it out onto a plate and serve lukewarm.

serves 8

(caramelised apple tart)

TarTe TaTin was a happy accidenT ThaT occurred aT The hoTel TaTin in france in 1898. The hoTel’s cooK and parT owner, sTéphanie TarTin, lefT The apples cooKinG for Too lonG and To rescue The dish she creaTed an upside down TarT which The GuesTs loved!

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This is sue’s mother’s recipe, good for using up the egg whites left over from the parfait or

crème brûlée… if you’ve made one!

egg whites from 4 eggs • 120g sugar

Beat the egg whites until really stiff then gradually add in the sugar. Spoon into spiky piles on a silicone

baking sheet. Bake for an hour between 150˚C (if you like them a bit brown) and 120˚C. Once baked to your liking, prise them off the sheet, turn them onto their sides, switch off the oven, close the oven door quickly and leave them to cool in the oven overnight. If you prefer your meringues less chewy, cook them

for longer in the oven at a very low heat.

serves 4-6

sue has experimented with all sorts of combinations on this basic pâté brisée (light, flaky pastry dough), and after many delicious trial and error attempts, this one has come out tops. The red beads in the picture are

pomegranate seeds, just added for decorative purposes. a mixture with circles of peaches

and plums tends to look prettier. This is a light dessert, and a tart, fruity end to the meal!

for the pastry:250g flour • 125g butter • 1 egg

• 50g almonds, ground

Mix the ingredients (except the almonds) together quickly to form a uniform pastry and pat it into a ball. Keep in a cool place for 30 minutes… this helps it roll out more easily. Roll the pastry out flat before lining

the bottom and sides of a large tart tin. Prick the base and sprinkle over 50g ground almonds.

for the filling:1kg plums, halved • 50g flaked almonds • 5/6T sugar (to taste)

Wash the plums, slice them in 2, remove the pips, and lay them on the pastry and almond base. Throw over some flaked almonds and a liberal sprinkling of sugar, to taste. Bake the tart in a preheated oven at 200˚C for 30 minutes. Turn out and allow to cool.

As mentioned before this is also delicious served with a mixture of peaches and plums.

serves 10-12

(plum & almond tart)

"sTressed spelled bacKwards is desserTs. coincidence? i ThinK noT… "

TOMSAYS

“now Go for a joG. or a cycle. seriously.”- lucy

12SHP 13SHPL-R: 1. where sue unwinds afTer TeachinG balleT 2. a handmade card from lucie’s besT friend 3. candles are ofTen used To liGhT up The house 4. a paGe from lucie’s well-documenTed

diary 5. sue’s r30 barGain picTure from The milnerTon car booT sale 6. balleT cosTume accessories found around The house OPPOSITE: a posTer lucie brouGhT bacK from barcelona.

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somewhat like a custard tart, without the pastry crust, far breton is a humble yet luscious,

perfectly easy and nutritious cake for kid’s lunch boxes, with morning coffee, at snacktimes or

for a dessert. Traditionally you leave the pips in, but if you don’t want to be liable for your friend’s

crown, get stoned (de-pipped) prunes! This recipe is adapted from the classic no-frills Tante

Marie cookbook.

1 cup (250g) flour • 200g sugar • 4 eggs • 3 cups (750ml) milk • 37ml rum

• 50g raisins • 12 prunes

In a bowl mix, the flour, sugar, eggs (one by one), milk and rum. Then add the raisins and prunes, which

have been soaked overnight in some rum. Butter a large round cake tin, pour in the mixture and bake in

a preheated oven for 1 hour at 180˚C.

serves 8

"beware of prune pips!!!"

SUESAYS

Always a festive finish to a summer party, you can make this in a beautiful mould and pour a colourful coulis over it as you take it out. This

can be made with peaches or granadillas, all of which are delicious too. according to sue, this

has evolved over the last 20 years from a torn-out magazine recipe. The family enjoys it

every christmas!

175g sugar • 3 egg yolks, beaten• 500g strawberries, stems removed &

blended • 2 cups (500ml) cream

Place the sugar in a pot. Wet the sugar slightly and bring it to the boil. Beat the egg yolks in a bowl and

pour the sugary syrup onto them in a thin drizzle while beating vigorously. Continue beating until the mixture is cold and takes on a mousse-like texture. Fold the strawberries into the cold mixture. Whip the cream, fold all the ingredients together and freeze. Remove from the freezer 1 hour before serving and place it in

the fridge for the correct texture (must appear smooth rather than crystal-like). To finish, drizzle over with

your choice of coulis and… voilà!

serves 12

(strawberry parfait)

parfaiT is a french word liTerally meaninG "perfecT" ThaT in 1894 sTarTed beinG used when referrinG To a Type of frozen desserT.

16SHP 17SHPL-R: 1. The GuesT room upsTairs 2. a collecTion of french poeTry, plays, and oTher french liTeraTure 3. Their “GreeK Tavern” courTyard, used mosTly in summer 4. sue’s old

recipe booK by famous french chef, bocuse 5. lucie’s arTisTic recordinGs of her london advenTures 6. The GuesT room’s paTchworK quilT

cointreau pancakes

sue had to steal her father’s cointreau for this, as it’s a bit pricey, but you can substitute Grand marnier, van der hum or witblits. big brownie

points if you can flambé with flair…

for the crêpes:1 cup (250ml) flour • 2 cups (500ml)

milk {or 1 cup (250ml) milk and 1 cup (250ml) water for lighter crêpes}

• 3 eggs • 2T cooking oil

Place the flour in a bowl. Pour in 1 cup (250ml) milk, beating with an electric beater to make sure there are no lumps. Add the eggs one by one, then the oil and the rest of the liquid. Make the crêpes in a large flat

crêpe pan and pile them on a plate, ready forthe filling.

for the crême pâtissère filling:4 egg yolks • 40g flour • ½ cup (125g)

sugar • 2 cups (500ml) milk • 3T Cointreau (or more…)

Put the egg yolks, flour and sugar in a bowl and beat well, adding the milk. Then add the Cointreau. Pour

into a saucepan on a moderate heat and keep stirring until the mixture thickens. Don’t worry if it boils a bit. Spread some crème pâtissière onto each crêpe, roll the crêpes and line them up next to each other in a long oven dish. Just before serving, heat the dish, sprinkle over with 50g sugar, heat the remaining

Cointreau, pour on, and flambé.

serves 4

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it’s common knowledge that the french, particularly parisian’s, aren’t the friendliest

lot. so when you do come across a friendly, local face it’s quite something. framboise was

one of those special few who immediately befriended and was kind to Sue when she first arrived in paris as a “very naive south african”.

sue told me this dessert is just a small taste of that kindness. This is honestly the ultimate

chocolate iced dessert… you’ll seduce anyone with this.

300g dark chocolate • 6t strong coffee • 150g butter • 4 eggs, separated into

whites & yolks

Melt 300g black chocolate with 6t strong coffee in a bain-marie (double boiler). Add 150g butter and melt together. Remove from the bain-marie and add 4 egg yolks into the chocolate mixture, beating vigorously. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff.

Fold the stiff egg whites carefully into the chocolate mixture, place in a loaf tin and freeze for at least

4 hours.

serves 8-10

henry sTubbe was a physician who considered drinKinG chocolaTe once or Twice a day an excellenT cure for faTiGue caused by hard worK.

with lemon, garlic

& rosemary

catherine concedes that this recipe may sound boring, but “mine is the best version of this and there is a huge hedge of rosemary outside the

house... and with my roast potatoes… fantastic.” what i like about catherine’s

cooking is the abundance. 2 chickens for 5 people seemed extravagant, but for a long

weekend away, a cooked chicken can come in very useful for whipping up extra no-fuss meals.

• 2 free-range chickens (about 1kg each) • 8 giant cloves garlic, chopped

finely • another head of giant (elephant) garlic, separated into cloves for

roasting • salt and pepper to taste • 200g butter • 3 lemons, quartered • 4 large sprigs rosemary, trimmed of its

leaves • 10 potatoes, peeled and quartered

Preheat the oven to 180˚C. Boil the peeled potatoes for 10 minutes and drain. Remove any

excess fat from the cavities of the chicken and place them side-by-side in a roaster. Insert 4 quarters of

lemon into the cavities as well as a spring of rosemary and loosely tie the legs up with string. Sprinkle the chopped garlic over the chicken along with a liberal dusting of salt and white pepper and dot the butter

equally over the flesh. Place the potatoes around the chickens, along with the remaining lemon quarters,

and sprinkle over the garlic cloves in their skins. Place the pan on the middle shelf of the oven for 70 – 80 minutes. Baste with the pan juices halfway through

cooking.

To make a basic pan gravy remove the chicken and potatoes to a serving dish and remove all but 1T pan oil. Sprinkle over 1T flour and over a medium heat, stir the flour into the oil for a minute or two. Now

pour in 2 cups water (if you have boiled any veggies like cabbage or carrots, then use these flavoursome water), and whisk away like mad so lumps do not

form. Cook out for another 5-8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper then whisk in 1T butter. Strain the

gravy through a wire mesh into a warmed gravy boat. Squeeze the juice from the caramelised lemons over the chicken when serving and also ????. Squeeze the roasted garlic heads and use as a condiment.

Dijon mustard is also great. serves 6-8

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• SUE SAYS...I LOVE… paris in the springtime, laughing, my job, romantic gardens, swimming at cape infanta, lucie and Tom (duuh!). I NEED… an unself-catered holiday and a handyman. I EAT… winegums. I TASTE… vegetables and herbs from my garden. I BELONG TO… the mile high club. I ENJOY… acting in Tv commercials (the food is always so good on set) and combining outspoken people of all ages at dinner parties. I LISTEN TO… schubert, fasil say. I’M READING… a biography of flaubert. I LIKE WATCHING… (or rather perving over) the cuban dancer carlos acosta on youtube. I SPEND MOST DAYS… working or playing spider solitaire. I THINK FASHION IS… ridiculous (i did a stint in haute couture modelling in paris). I BELIEVE SOUTH AFRICA IS… hard to beat.

• LUCIE SAYS...I LOVE… palm trees, red lipstick, russia, rabbits, my grandparents, oil painting, the salvation army shops, cape infanta. I NEED… a large trust fund. I EAT… pasta, pasta, pasta! I TASTE… Tommy's sweet and sour pork fillet Asian taste-explosion-in-your-mouth dish. i wish he'd make it again! apparently it took all day. I BELONG TO… a chilli sauce making/exchanging club (the best birds-eye chillies come from Tatjana's grandmother's bush which is in durban somewhere). I ENJOY… dancing. I LISTEN TO… Tommy's dj mixes, (these always make you want to dance) ella joyce buckley and dear john love emma, (both excellent and beautiful in their own ways). I’M READING… four books at once: the interminable but amazing anna Karenina, bob dylan chronicles, bury me standing- a book about romanian gypsies, and jilly cooper's polo (for the 2nd time). I LIKE WATCHING…our cat miu-miu, she's a nut job. I SPEND MOST DAYS… slaving away at architecture school, scheming what it is i'm going to do when/if i ever get out of architecture school (probably not architecture but something chilled like jam-making or crocheting). I THINK FASHION IS… oxygen. I BELIEVE SOUTH AFRICA IS… going to enjoy a shiny and happy future!

• TOM SAYS...I LOVE… good waves, my turntables, hopping on a plane, espadrilles, red pants, beautiful smiles, the xmas eve dancefloor action, golf. I NEED…to clean my room, asap, and to explore madagascar. I EAT…french/italian/Thai/japanese. I TASTE… lucie's sage chicken, i wish she'd make it more often, it's really quick and easy to make. I REMEMBER… parrot-fish with garlic on the braai in mozam. it was legal back then, i think... I BELONG TO… the rat race. I ENJOY… anatoli, mzoli's, minato's, fiction, The assembly. I LISTEN TO… the rolling stones and everything else. I’M READING… oscar wilde - one day i’ll (hopefully) be well-read. I LIKE WATCHING… my shares go up. I SPEND MOST DAYS… breathing and stuff. I THINK FASHION IS… random. I BELIEVE SOUTH AFRICA IS… where the heart is!